Flower Care & Planning for DIY Design

Pick-Up. Design. Celebrate!

Being prepared in advance of celebration day will make the most of a fun and enjoyable experience. Read helpful planning tips below.

Flowers need to be kept as cool as possible during transport and storage. They should never be left in a warm vehicle or bright, warm room if using for an occasion.
Stage flowers in a cool (45-50F), dark room or basement until needed.
Fresh, clean, cool water should always be used for vases and buckets.
To prolong flower life, a dilution of dissolved sugar and a few drops of bleach or hydrogen peroxide added to the water can extend vase life.
Wind, heat, and humidity will affect the quality of flowers - always opt for cool, shady locations for the best quality and longevity of blooms
Some of the flowers may come with blooms that are closed, as they warm and are exposed to sun, they will blow open. Some blooms, such as cosmos, will lose some of their petals as new buds open up. This is normal. We cut stems with this timing in mind. Other blooms, like poppies, will close in the dark and open in the light.
Some flowers naturally have a longer vase life than others. Arranged flowers and bouquets will last 7 days or more, if given fresh water, and kept cool out of direct, bright light. Most flowers exposed to outdoor conditions will reliably last 5-8 hours in tip-top shape, depending on sun, wind, heat, and humidity. Out of water, they will obviously fade faster.
Some flowers are toxic to pets and humans if consumed. Please keep all flowers out of reach of curious pets and very young children.

Research floral design tips. Gather images of colors, textures, and forms - these don't need to be images of flowers! Get inspired.
Gather or purchase supplies needed in addition to flowers to make arrangements. Allow time to receive and inspect supplies in case they need to be exchanged.
Practice arranging. Watch tutorials. Buy local flowers ahead of time or use flowers from the garden to try out a few ideas.

Decide where flowers will be stored until the day of the event. Have that spot reserved, tidied and ready to receive the flowers.
Designate someone to pick up the flowers and have them read through the general flower care list. Make sure they know to bring buckets to pick-up day.
Flowers should be taken directly to a cool location. They'll need to be transported with water, protect the transport space from splashes.
Finalize the supply list, get any last minute supplies, including scissors or plant snips.
Purchase, re-use, or borrow buckets for transport. Make sure they are clean. Flower stems are easily clogged by debris in flower water.

Pick up the flowers from the farm. Early morning is ideal to avoid the heat of the day. Pick up time is between 8am and 12pm. Don't forget the buckets!
Get supplies ready and lay out a big table to work on. Have a few types of scissors and snips handy, towels for spills, a broom and dust pan, and an extra bucket for the compost pile.

Set aside several hours before the event, depending on how many arrangements are needed. It can easily take a whole day to make arrangements.
Bring photos collected for inspiration or display on a phone screen or laptop.
Prepare all vases - fill them with clean water and add any flower frogs or other "mechanics" needed.
If making several similar arrangements, make a "recipe" - write down the flowers used and follow that for all of the arrangements.
Have fun! Play music or a podcast and go for it.
As you design, snip flowers to length and arrange in prepared vases of fresh water. If designing bouquets, wait to snip the length until the design is complete. Bouquets need to be placed in fresh cool water once they've had the final snip. Search "hydration chamber for flowers" on the internet to care for boutonnières and corsages. Place them back in a cool area until ready to stage them for the event. Be careful if storing in a refrigerator not to let flowers touch the sides of the fridge where they can easily freeze.

If transporting arranged flowers to a different location, blast the car's AC on the way.
Secure arrangements before transport - towels work well snuggled in between vases.
Once on location, continue to keep arrangements as cool and shaded as possible.
If photographing florals, take photos early or before the event. Bouquets should be returned to water when not being photographed.
When the event is over, guests love to take flowers home with them, offer them as a 'thank you' for celebrating with you!
Compost or dry flowers after they've faded for good Karma. All of our flowers are grown organically and are safe to compost in the home garden.